It's actually weird being back in Thailand. After a few weeks of total relaxation and few western influences, it's now back to McDonald's, 7/11 and feeling like this travel lark is a bit too....easy.

So Chiang Rai. It's a fairly small place, often overlooked for it's larger neighbour Chiang Mai. Whilst it's not a lively place, at least by backpacker standards, it's still a great place to hang out for a few days of slower paced Thai living.

The big highlight for me, and so will feature heavily in the photographs, is Wat Rong Khun, or "The White Temple". It's outragously fantastic to visit. It was designed and built by a Thai artist, and looks - epic. Inside is a bizarre mural featuring everything from Star Wars to George Bush to Buddha. No photos allowed inside though...sorry.

Other than that, it's the normal case of eating at the local market, enjoying a beer or two in a chilled out bar and just enjoying the fact you are in South East Asia....